Eleanor White - Eulogy
The following is the eulogy written by Doug White and delivered at Eleanor's funeral:
When asked to give a Eulogy for my own Mother I sat quietly and wondered where to begin. With my Father it had been about his love of music. Many bits and pieces of memories passed through my mind. The years of playing music together as a family, the many people that she joyfully shared her home and life with, creating the extended family she loved so well, her dedication to raising her sons, the joys she found in her grandchildren, the companionship of her friends, the love for her husband. But one word kept coming back to me and I wasn't sure what to do with it or exactly what is signified.
Euchre
A simple card game, but it seemed to keep coming up and tying things together, so I finally gave in and just let it flow out. I am not sure if I am the writer or just the vehicle for this message.
When I would call Mother from where ever we happened to be, the conversation would usually contain the statement, "Oh, and we had so-and-so over this evening and had a game of euchre". I would chuckle to myself, laugh about whether she had won or lost, talk about who had been to visit, who had gotten the better hands and the good time they all had enjoyed.
But today as I sit and write, Euchre seems to have been more than just a game; it was her life's philosophy and how she passed it on. I think of her sitting with our children and many others, dealing out a hand of cards, explaining how to play the game, using the cards you were dealt, looking for ways to improve one's hand, how to evaluate when to take chances and when to play it safe, learning to rely on a partner, that you sometimes had to go it alone, but always learn from your mistakes and definitely be a good loser.
Then in the end you would sit back, laugh at one's follies and begin to deal the next hand. Through this simple game she passed on what she knew and how she lived her life.
So the next time you sit down to play a game of cards, think of Eleanor, have a laugh over the times you had and know that she and Ed have likely found a foursome and are moving on with their journey.
